The Naked Vegan

Maz Valcorza

Murdoch Books

ISBN: 9781743366233

Description:

There once was a nurse-turned-pharmaceutical sales manager who had always partied hard, chain smoked, eaten as many bacon sandwiches as she liked and exercised just enough to ‘stay fit’. One day, she decided to take up yoga (because it seemed like a great way to get a toned butt). Little did she know that this snap decision, made out of curiosity and vanity, would change her life forever, leading her on a journey to organic, plant-based, raw food health, one delicious bite at a time.

My View:

I picked up this book for several reasons – I wanted to learn more about vegan food options, ingredients, methods of preparation and because the cover of this book leapt out at me – the food photography here is so vibrant and enticing; the images look good enough to eat!

So what do raw food eating vegan’s eat? Nut and seed milks/mylks – yes I have heard of these and tried a couple of them – the book shows you how to make the milks at home – so much cheaper than buying ready made.  Salads – yes I expected to find these – but there are some really interesting ingredient combinations here – and the finished plates look so fresh and delicious.  Breads, crackers and wraps – all raw – a food dehydrator is needed to prepare these.  Super food smoothies- yes I love these! The breakfast section looks good – some foods were already on my radar –  “grawnola”, chia pudding, Acai Bowl, breakfast trifles…yum. Main meals – zucchini pasta (these seem to be very popular but you need a spiraliser for these sorts of dishes), a raw “stir fry”, dips, wraps, tacos, lasagne (raw), quiche – raw, pizzas- raw.

There are also some wonderful savoury and sweet condiment recipes, chilli jam (raw), sauces, and snacks and sides. (Berry chia jam is so trendy and so easy to make – you need to try this one!) And there are raw vegan cakes – the Choc Raspberry Cheezecake look incredible! And the Superfood Caramel Slice…divine!

Whilst vegan and raw foods are not necessarily my first options when I start to think about what to make for breakfast or dinner there are plenty of recipes here that I might enjoy and some I will try out…the recipes here are so fresh and vibrant even non vegans will get excited!